Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Festive Yoursula.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Festive Yoursulaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yoursula, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,641. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yoursula in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Festive Yoursula has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Festive Yoursulaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Festive Yoursulaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Small decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets.
5. Bronze-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in mid September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yoursula, primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yoursula had lavender-colored ray florets. In addition plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered a couple of days later than plants of the cultivar Yoursula when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the cultivar Sunny Yoursula, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application filed concurrently, in ray floret coloration.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Robin, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,300. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Robin in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more rounded than plants of the cultivar Robin.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered five to seven days later than plants of the cultivar Robin when grown under natural season conditions.
3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not fade as quickly as ray florets of plants of the cultivar Robin.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Orange Urano, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,019. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Orange Urano in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were not as outwardly spreading as plants of the cultivar Orange Urano.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later than plants of the cultivar Orange Urano grown under natural season conditions.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Orange Urano.